Concord native Melissa Fraser opened her latest exhibit of photographic art Wednesday at the N.H. Audubon’s McLane Center.
“Mystical Arbors: A photographic journey of the givers of life” is a collection looking at trees with a new perspective.
The new works were a chance for Fraser to combine her passions: biology and photography.
Fraser graduated from Concord High School in 1992 and went on to attend the University of New Hampshire for marine and biology studies. Then, she earned a doctorate in molecular biology and did post-doctoral work at St. Jude’s Hospital. She is now a cancer research scientist.
She first became interested in photography on a family trip to Bar Harbor, Maine, when she was 12 years old. She visited a gallery there and told her father it was something she’d like to do. He then passed off the family’s camera for her to use during the trip.
She continued to hone her craft with classes in high school in photography, including an independent study her senior year.
Since then, her photos have appeared in the Humanitas magazine at the University of South Carolina, Cape Code Guide magazine, and three juried art books on Charleston, S.C.; Savannah, Ga.; and Massachusetts.
Her art and career have also crossed paths when her photos were selected for the covers of scientific journals Neuroscience and Cancer Research.
The photos in this exhibit look at trees from different angles and in different lights. She also experimented with different smartphone apps to give the photos a texture like a painting.
Sometimes it’s the bark of the tree that inspires her – like one she spotted on a photo tour in Italy. Sometimes it’s the way the tree branches out at the canopy.
“You might not look at trees the same way” after seeing her photographs, Fraser said.
The trees were photographed in New England, France, Italy and in the western United States.
“I’m really proud to be back at the Audubon,” Fraser said. She has volunteered there since she was a child.
Fraser said 30 percent of the proceeds from the display will go to the Audubon.
The exhibit will be on display through October when the Audubon is open to the public.